Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Blonde/brown hair, blue eyes. Jody has a small mole under her chin, an appendectomy scar on her abdomen, and a large birthmark under one of her arms. She wore large round eyeglasses at the time of her disappearance, and her teeth were in excellent condition.

Details of Disappearance

Jody was last seen at her boyfriend's house in the 700 block of Cambrige Street in Kansas City, Missouri on May 23, 1985. She had an argument with her boyfriend and other friends on the day of her disappearance. She apparently wanted to accompany them to their destination, but they refused. Jody walked to a nearby friend's residence and called her mother, asking for a ride home to the 6800 block of east Topping Street. Her mother did not have her car and Jody told her she would find another ride. She was last seen walking northbound on Winchester from 14th Street. Jody was never heard from again. She did not take any money or extra clothing with her when she disappeared.

Jody was enrolled in a juvenile probation program at the time she disappeared. (She and a friend had had a run-in with a security guard in 1984). Her caseworker was contacted by Jody' mother after the disappearance. The caseworker filed two warrants for Jody, listing her as an endangered juvenile who should be detained by authorities if she was spotted. Jody's mother assumed that the warrants also meant juvenile authorities had filed a missing child report with law enforcement; they had not. Law enforcement never considered Jody as a missing person until 1987, two years following her disappearance, because they had not been notified. As a result, Jody's case was obviously extremely delayed and clues were minimal by the time the investigation began.

In 1997, police dragged the Missouri River after two prison inmates claimed they had information on the case. Their tip went nowhere, but it led the Kansas City Police Department to reclassify Jody's case as a probable homicide. Her mother now lives in Arkansas but visits Kansas City a few times every year to search for her daughter. Jody's case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Kansas City Police Department
816-234-5140